The 2026 Met Gala Was A Fashion Flop For These Celebs

Met Gala 2026: The theme was "Costume Art," and some stars certainly delivered and then some. However, there are always a few who don't play ball, and that's why our roundup of this year's worst-dressed is comprised of the attendees who went way too safe for the "Fashion Is Art" dress code (basically the fashion equivalent of the "Go Girl Give Us Nothing" meme from 2018).

Dressing for the Met Gala is tricky. Sure, the entire point of the event is to raise money for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but going too costumey is a no-no. Having said that, fans of the annual fundraiser tend to agree that by far the bigger crime is not going big enough. After all, it's known as fashion's biggest night, so it certainly deserves a whole lot of pomp and circumstance. 

Enter, those who decide to keep things simple — too simple. While some years have seen stars bring their A-game with wild Met Gala looks, the May 4, 2026, event saw many going more low-key, and some even donned ensembles that looked like the ones they wear to literally every other event (Lauren Sánchez Bezos and Hugh Jackman, we're looking at you). From average tuxedos to the same old silhouettes we've seen a hundred times, let's get into it. 

First up, we have the event's honorary chair, Lauren Sánchez Bezos. To be clear, it was a very pretty dress (far from one of Lauren Sánchez Bezos' worst ever looks): a custom Schiaparelli piece based on John Singer Sargent's "Madame X." Even so, it was also painfully boring — and given how inventive Schiaparelli has always been, that felt even more egregious. Perhaps the boycotts of the event over Sánchez Bezos and her husband's involvement prompted Mrs. Bezos to go so understated. Still, this one kept us wanting way more. 

Speaking of giving us nothing, next up are Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, who made their Met Gala debut looking as basic as one can in a tux and a shimmering gold dress. Did they look nice? Sure. However, it also kind of felt like they picked out whatever black tie attire they already had in their closets and called it a day. Talk about a snooze fest — but a high-end one, at least. 

Cher is known for some pretty iconic looks, so to say we were disappointed by her 2026 Met Gala lewk is an understatement. Granted, we certainly weren't expecting her to revive her naked looks of yore (Cher may have a super positive outlook on aging, but some things should be left in the past), and we guess the sheer panels are a subtle allusion to some of her past fashion risks. That said, her deconstructed ensemble for the 2026 Grammys felt more Met Gala-coded than her actual Met Gala outfit did. 

This one stung. Gabrielle Union could work a paper bag, and there's no question she looked beautiful for the 2026 Met Gala. We'll also give her props for her hairdo, which was styled to look like a crown. However, the Michael Kors dress itself felt super dated. In fact, we found ourselves wondering if we were looking at a pic from this year's Met Gala and not the event in 2016. As an aside, here's hoping this is officially the end of sparkly naked dresses, because this is one trend that's overstayed its welcome by about eight years. 

Sigh. Another star who looked drop-dead gorg but dreadfully boring all the same? Tate McRae. The singer stunned in gold, but this Tate McRae outfit missed the mark for the theme of the evening. In fact, she kind of looked as though she was headed to just about any red carpet event other than the Met Gala. As for the lace detailing, we wouldn't normally be fans, but we guess we'll give her one snap (that's singular) for it because at least it gave us something different. Let it be known, though — it's a reluctant snap. 

Gorgeous. Stunning. Classic. Also: Boring. Charli XCX is known for pushing the margins (even her stage name has a fun back story), so we're sure we aren't the only ones who figured her 2026 Met Gala appearance would be all kinds of playfully fabulous. However, she arrived to the event in a black Saint Laurent dress that was pretty, but also pretty plain for the occasion. Perhaps the rationale behind the lewk was that it would be super different from what anyone expected, in which case, congrats ... we guess. 

Jay-Z looked dapper and classic at this year's Met Gala, which also happened to mark one of his rare public appearances in 2026. With that in mind, we were expecting something slightly more than, well, dapper and classic. We'll give the music mogul some grace purely because Beyoncé and their daughter Blue Ivy brought their own A-games to the red carpet (Blue Ivy's own style transformation has been beyond impressive for such a young teen). For sure, it's possible Jay-Z wanted to let them have their moments. Even so, considering his own track record in the fashion stakes, who could blame us for expecting something more?